What would you do?

[Lost Lake]

I agree, go when you can.

When are you going to die?

When are you going to lose an arm?

When are you going to have a loved one fall deathly sick and you need to be by their side?

It is from reading these pixels right here on Sailfar that I have learned:

You can live on less, and enjoy life more.

You can follow a dream.

You can be yourself, not tied to a clock or measured by a yardstick of someone else's making.

It is right here that I caught the bug, that I began dreaming of a different life where I don't need to make a lot of money to spend a lot of money to try to be happy.

There is a joke, maybe not really a joke and forgive my poor recollection, but :

There was a man who fished for lobster (forgive me if this is the wrong term) and he did quite well. He had a boat and most days he'd catch a few and sell them to the local restaurant, providing money for his needs and a little more. He lived on his own time, his own rules.

Then one day a man noticed the fine lobster he caught and asked his secret. When he learned the man really knew how to catch lobster, he told him he should put out more traps, and then more traps, and when he had enough traps he could hire help to bring in and tend them every day. After a while he could buy trucks to haul his catch to distant buyers who would pay more money. Eventually he could build a large successful  business!

"Why would I do that?" the fisherman asked.

"So you can retire and live a life doing what you like!" the man said....

"But that's what I am doing now", the fisherman said....



Ain't that the truth? I think we could live the life now... Look at all the smart people on here that are doing it! They are my inspiration... I'll need enough to have a nice nest egg in the bank (got that) and enough to put my kids through college, ( close... depends on which colleges!) and then a nice boat (sale of the house will cover that! ) I may pick up little jobs here and there, in fact I think I'd really enjoy that.

I'm going to do it, with my youngest being 7, I have time, but I'm going to do it....

[Frank]

Max..you have 'risks' either way....one is financial, the other is 'LIFE'. Ya can always make money but never 'buy' life  ;)     Imagine looking back and saying 'I could have' or 'I should have'

[jotruk]

My 2 cents worth soon as you can!! I have planed on going cruising and the first time the old ticker acted up and I ended up in the hospital and no cruise, the next time come down with a sever inner ear disease, no can go until the meds take care of the dizziness. Now have come down with diabetes Whats next? Go as soon as you can don't wait

[AdriftAtSea]

I think going sooner, rather than later is a good idea.  There was a post on another forum about a sailor and his girlfriend.  He had spent many years getting a boat ready for that long cruise.  During the short time he and his better half were getting the boat prepped to leave, he fell in to the water... he managed to get out and she got him to a hospital.  He had had a massive heart attack and probably won't even make it back home at this point—much less go cruising. 

Gee and I wanted to see what lay beyond the sunrise.  She's not here to do it any more, having lost her battle with pancreatic cancer seven years ago.  I hope to leave next spring.... I think it is what she would have wanted me to do.

[Frank]

This pic from dawson City Yukon says it all

[Shipscarver]

 ::)
Please let me enter a postscript:
I was just short of 49, and with zero anticipation of health problems, I had my first cardiac double bypass.
So, I have developed a great appreciation for the time value of money, and the time value of - -  time.
With competent management of the base principle, allowed to grow unfettered as you live off the monthly stipend, it looks as if you would be hard pressed to find a better decision than option #1. 
However, whatever decision you make, good luck and fair winds.

[s/v Faith]

What a great dicussion.  Grog to Max for starting it.

  Another person I think of along these lines it Eric (Starcrest).  Fortunately he had 'done it', and shared quite a bit about how it had made a profound effect on his life with us here.

  He was planning to do it again, and ran out of time.  life's crests and troughs